According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the courses were closed for improperly using groundwater, arable land or protected land within nature reserves, and authorities have imposed restrictions on 65 more courses. Golf has also come under scrutiny in the country due to the anti-corruption campaign launched under President Xi Jinping.

In its latest update of discipline rules, all 88 million members of the party are prohibited from joining clubs, as the latest extension of an anti-corruption drive. Extravagant eating and drinking have also been formally banned.